Gas Stations, Speeches And Bucket Lists

Alright Gas Nation,

Our newsletter has almost 2000 readers and I'd like to thank you all for being here with me. If my words can benefit anyone you know please feel free to forward this newsletter to them, whether they're in the fuel business or into entrepreneurship.

It's been another week of travel and deals and general craziness, but good craziness.

I gave my first public speech last week, a speech at my son's business development class at Samford University down in Alabama. While we're on the subject of Alabama, it's the home to one of the largest gas stations in the world, a Bucee's, of course.

Now to some of you this might sound boring, but to me it was a big bucket list item.

One of the reasons I dropped out of high school was my fear of public speaking, so this is a really big deal to me.

I was an absolute nervous wreck. But my fear didn't conquer this time. Not this time.

When I got up in front of the class I just emptied myself and went straight off. I had a presentation, but I didn't look at a single note. It just flowed. I was in my element.

I talked about my classroom, my dad's gas station, where I got my education, and how I went through the various levels in the business and ultimately came to embrace the values that I live by today: hint, it's all about people and helping them accomplish their goals so you can accomplish yours.

And it went great. My son got an A. I don't mean to brag, but the kids left the room saying "this was the best one ever." Kids came up to me and wanted to talk and ask questions afterwards. We gave out some Gas Biz hats and you could see them being worn all over the campus.

This might sound cliche, but the truth is that seeing these ambitious, hard working kids open their eyes to opportunities and get excited about their futures is the highlight of the life I'm living now.

Here’s a short freehand clip of me up there:

On the home front, some of you might have heard that the car came in. It's been a lifelong dream for a kid who didn't finish school and worked at a gas station since the age of 14. Thank you for all of your support.

I'm continuing to post a lot of content. You all know I started on Twitter, but am now active on Instagram, TikTok and of course YouTube. There's a lot of great tactical and practical videos there. There's more to come and many more exciting announcements in the weeks ahead.

And as always - if you have any questions about the fuel life or about getting into it, feel free to respond to this email and let me know. I always try to help.

See you around the pump,

GBG